Far-right leader: Nuclear button must remain exclusively French

Far-right leader Jordan Bardella, on February 27, criticised plans by French President Emmanuel Macron to give a more European dimension to France’s nuclear doctrine, arguing that deterrence should not be viewed exclusively through a nuclear lens.

Speaking to the television news channel LCI, the president of the National Rally said he disagreed with the idea that nuclear deterrence alone guarantees security. According to Bardella, conventional military capabilities remain primary, pointing to ongoing French missions in Eastern Europe, including troop deployments in Romania and Estonia, as well as air-policing operations in the Baltic region.

“As members of NATO and the European Union, we have a duty to provide mutual assistance,” he said.

Bardella acknowledged that France’s long-standing nuclear doctrine has always recognised that the country’s vital interests extend beyond its national borders. However, he stressed that nuclear decision-making must remain strictly national. “When it comes to nuclear power, I defend principles, and those principles are that there can be no sharing, no co-financing, and no co-decision-making on the nuclear button,” he said.

The Élysée Palace has consistently maintained that any decision to use nuclear weapons would remain solely in the hands of the French president.

The National Rally, historically sceptical of deep engagement with both NATO and the European Union, is currently leading early polling ahead of next year’s presidential election. If longtime party leader Marine Le Pen fails in her appeal to shorten or overturn a five-year election ban linked to embezzlement charges, the 30-year-old Bardella is widely expected to run in her place.

His comments come days before Macron is due to deliver a major speech outlining how France’s nuclear arsenal could contribute to Europe’s broader security architecture. Paris has been holding consultations with several European capitals, including Berlin, Stockholm and Warsaw, on how French nuclear capabilities might help deter Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Alongside the United Kingdom, France remains one of Western Europe’s two nuclear-armed powers. Its deterrent includes both airborne and sea-based systems, with at least one nuclear submarine continuously on patrol. Asked whether the National Rally would support restoring a land-based nuclear deterrent — a capability France abandoned after the Cold War — Bardella responded that such an option “could be part of the debate.”

By Tamilla Hasanova